Home
Meet The Teacher
Blog
Disclosure
Contact
Shop

A Smiling Teacher

A Teaching Blog by Amber Masters

Freebies
Math
Reading
Writing
Classroom

Subscribe to the Newsletter

First Name E-Mail Address

Latest on the Blog

Back to School Lunch Ideas

Building your Classroom on a Budget

My Scribble

Number Path Freebie

Favorite Teaching Resources

Follow @asmilingteacher

This low prep project usually makes the most beaut

This low prep project usually makes the most beautiful hallway display. 😭Hopefully students can display their work somewhere at home this year! 💗 #kindergarten

This is where I spend a lot of my day when I’m t

This is where I spend a lot of my day when I’m teaching. I’m so thankful that our new school had these adjustable standing tables (on wheels! ) because I move it around to the easel, the view board, etc. during the day. Also, I miss kids and getting my daily steps in. 😳

Students still love morning / afternoon messages (

Students still love morning / afternoon messages ( I teach A.M. / P.M. kindergarten) during remote learning! This is such an interactive way to engage students in a variety of skills. I read the words without the missing sounds and my students laugh and help me fix the writing! This is one of those things that brings me joy because it’s not so different online. 💗 #kindergarten

🙌🏻 “Breakout Room Leaders” have been rea

🙌🏻 “Breakout Room Leaders” have been really beneficial for managing breakout rooms with my kindergarteners. Our leaders rotate (so everyone gets a chance) but their job is to facilitate the small group discussion and to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to share. Some kids naturally have the skills to take charge and lead, and others need opportunities to practice. We will continue to model and practice what this looks like when we’re having conversations in small groups but I have been so pleased with how students have stepped up to the challenge!

Life can be hard. In September, Corbin and I were

Life can be hard. In September, Corbin and I were thrilled to find out that we were finally expecting. After more than a year of trying, and doctors visits, we were so, so happy.

On October 12th, I started having severe pain on the lower right side of my abdomen. I went to my doctor and then straight to the ER because they had a suspicion of an Ectopic Pregnancy. They couldn’t quite see everything they needed to see from the ultrasounds and didn’t want to interfere with what could have been a healthy pregnancy, so I had to deal with the pain and wait. After 8 hours of increasing pain, they determined that it was an ectopic pregnancy. The fertilized egg implanted in my fallopian tube and was also causing a blood clot. Around 11 P.M. they took me in for surgery. I’m grateful that they didn’t have to remove my fallopian tube, and for the amazing doctors and nurses that took such good care of me.

I’m thankful for my mom who was with me while Corbin rushed home from work in Nashville, and the sweet nurse who made it possible for them to switch places among all the COVID restrictions at the hospital. I’m thankful for our families, and friends who have been so supportive, and my amazing teammates that took care of things when I couldn’t teach.

I’m typically not one to share something so personal, but I know that it can be comforting to know that you’re not alone. I know that I’ve personally found a lot of comfort in hearing stories from others who are experiencing or have experienced something similar. I am feeling much better physically, and working on the emotional part. We are hopeful that we’ll be able to grow our family in the future. 💗

We’ve been counting all the things in kindergart

We’ve been counting all the things in kindergarten and are starting to compare numbers 0-10. Showing two sets of objects is an easy way to get students talking about quantities, but asking students what they notice first, provides an entry point for every child. You could also provide sentence stems to scaffold students. A challenge with distance learning is that students are not immersed in the language rich classroom all day. I’ve tried to be very intentional about providing opportunities for students to share, and explain their thinking. You could use these types of images in a whole group lesson, or post the picture in Flipgrid and have students respond and tell how they know one is more or less than the other.

Thankful for a husband that doesn’t blink when I

Thankful for a husband that doesn’t blink when I ask him to buy me a couple of pumpkins, drive me to the park, and record me rolling pumpkins down the hill. He gets me. This year is so hard, but we’ll get through it. I hope you all are hanging in there and taking care of yourselves! 💗

Another awesome Wordless Picture Book to add to yo

Another awesome Wordless Picture Book to add to your collection! This book is precious! 💗 I’ve been reading wordless picture books under the document camera so students can see every detail up close. Also speaking of looking closely, a document camera is hands down my most used classroom tool teaching in person AND remotely.

Copyright © 2020 Disclosure // Design by Laugh Eat Learn // Theme by Restored 316